Page 898 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 2 April 2008
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trying to con the ACT people into thinking that the government have made a brave decision, when they opposed sensible decisions in the past to close some schools. It is hypocritical because this government have closed some 23 schools, with more to close at the end of this year, with no effective consultation, with no warning, with the education community, even up until about mid-April of 2006, thinking everything was going along without a huge amount of change. A paper came out from the then minister, Ms Gallagher, indicating a few forums but nothing to indicate wholesale slashings of schools. And then of course we had the June budget with 39 schools listed for closure, named, and then the consultation process.
No-one, no government of any political persuasion, has treated the school communities with such contempt in the past. Any school closures were done with at least consultation before the event. No-one ever came up with a list of 39 schools, named them and then set about a sham consultation period, which may have saved some, when they gauged community reaction.
Some of these closures are illogical. Why have we closed some schools and not others? Why was Flynn school closed? It is interesting, that one, because it is a heritage listing. Why close the two historic schools that have been going since 1911 in the case of Hall and 1899 in the case of Tharwa, which cost a minimal amount but provide a great deal in terms of diversity of education? Why close the Cook school, which was one of the schools to be closed by the alliance government, reactivated by a promise of the Follett government, now closed again by an ALP government? Why do that when time had moved on and that school was operating very effectively in only half the space that it had back in 1990?
Mr Barr: And about one-sixth of the enrolments—
MR STEFANIAK: You try to justify it by saying that you are putting in $350 million worth of investment. That is bricks and mortar; but it is not educational outcomes; it is not accepting the views of people in the community, who in many instances do not want big megaschools. They want diversity in education. There are a lot of kids who benefit immensely from going to a school such as Tharwa or Hall. There are a lot of children who benefit from going to a school such as Lyons, which only has 85 students or thereabouts. Even your own figures show the amount you save on closures is minimal. I think it was $4.5 million a year for the 39 schools and preschools you were going to close back in June 2006.
Mr Barr: No, Bill—much more than that.
MR STEFANIAK: That is not all that unrealistic, because the figures are probably not more than several hundred thousand dollars a year for a primary school. Back in about 2000 they were $250,000; half a million for a high school.
Mr Barr: No. Try about four times that—
MR STEFANIAK: Even if you double those now, anyone can tell you that you do not save a huge amount of money in closing schools. I have never said you should not close any schools; of course you need to from time to time.
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